Ameduri had been playing bass with Thomas Wynn & The Believers, substituting for another musician.

"The band was taking a break and they were on the back patio area when the unknown suspect demanded money," said Winter Haven police spokeswoman Jamie Brown. "We do not know what prompted [the robber] to shoot."

Ameduri was transported to Winter Haven Hospital and then Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Police were looking for the gunman.

Friends gathered at Ameduri's home later Saturday and remembered him as a man of big passions: for food, argument, music and Catie Satterwhite, his girlfriend of five years.

"He would never pass up an opportunity to play music, never," Satterwhite said.

His fellow musicians knew him as someone with a dizzying breadth of knowledge about different musical genres. In the Orlando area, he could be found playing with rock, punk, bluegrass or jazz bands.

At gatherings at his home and other places, he always knew just the right record to play at the right moment, friends said.

One of Ameduri's proudest musical moments came last summer, when he was able to jam with several older bluegrass players, said musician and friend Mike Levin.

He was insatiably curious, and loved to learn about new things, often so he could argue – in his typically calm, good-natured fashion -- about them.

"He could comment about anything," Levin said.

Ameduri was also known as someone who encouraged other musicians and helped them put their music and lives in perspective.

"He always made me step back and not take myself so seriously," said Jeff Sweat, another musician and friend.

"He was just such a charismatic and charming man," said Holly Hill, Satterwhite's sister, who described Ameduri as someone who always had a smile on his face. Hill said her own daughter, Maddi, 17, had described Ameduri as "just the coolest guy on Earth."

Ameduri had worked as a graphic designer for Metropolis Graphics in Winter Park.

Bands he had played with included The Legendary JC's, The Rondos, and his own band, The Hamiltons. He also served as a recording engineer for local musicians.

In quiet moments, he could be found enjoying coffee with Satterwhite, discussing "whatever was on our minds," she said.

"He was just a good, dear friend, a kindred spirit," said Dana Fasano, another musician. "He'll be sorely missed."